With voter guides arriving at voters’ residences beginning March 3 and vote-by-mail beginning March 14, the Town of Windsor’s special election campaign is drawing to a close. First three, now two, the candidates vying for a long-vacant fifth town council seat to serve a six-month term beginning in May and ending in December have been campaigning for nearly two months now. Despite the brevity of the term, candidates will help the town council decide on some critical issues relating to the future of the Town of Windsor, including the fate of the Civic Center project, the selection of a new town manager, how to address long-term financial problems and, potentially, the makeup of the council itself.
Regardless of the outcome of the election, both candidates are active in the community and care deeply about the Town of Windsor and the people who live there; it is not unlikely that the losing candidate’s name could be alongside the winner’s on November’s ballot, running for either one of three open district seats or the at-large mayor.
SoCoNews asked candidates Michael Wall and Stephanie Ahmand to answer a series of questions at the start of their campaigns. Now that they’ve been speaking with voters and further informing themselves on the issues Windsor faces, we identified additional questions we considered to be in the public’s interest and have provided space to once again answer questions posed previously.
An article containing Ahmad’s responses was published first, in the order responses were received. Responses were edited lightly for AP style.
Election Day is April 12, with mail-in voting beginning on March 14. SoCoNews encourages eligible Windsor voters to inform themselves deeply on the issues at hand and make an informed choice when they exercise their democratic right in the coming month, considering both their own interests and the interests of the community. This is the foundation of the democratic process, which trusts an interested and informed public to decide who is worthy to lead them.
Michael Wall
Michael Wall, who also ran for the town council in 2016, lives in Windsor with his wife and their two children. He first moved to Windsor in 2005, where the couple first lived in one of the condos on the Town Green. Wall is a consultant for the health care industry, where he said he helps hospitals save money and improve their quality of care.
Why do you feel you’re the best candidate for this seat?
Today in Windsor we are at a crossroads in determining what we want for our town and what the culture in our community will be. There is a desire to make sure we preserve a small-town, family-focused feel in Windsor that is welcoming to everyone. Many people in Windsor are looking for someone to be a voice for them in local government, to help make sure we don’t sell our identity in exchange for becoming the next Healdsburg. I am the candidate that will listen to you, hear you and be your voice on the town council.
What are your long-term political aspirations? Why are you attracted to public service?
My long-term political aspirations are now, and always will be, to serve the community. Whether this be through serving on the town council, continuing to volunteer as a youth sports coach or other volunteer work, I will always be working to ensure I contribute to positive outcomes for Windsor. At this time, my focus is 100% on this special election and the issues that Windsor needs to address over the course of this year. I am attracted to public service at this time because there is a large segment of the community that does not feel heard or represented by the current town council. I am eager to listen to the community and be their voice when it comes to the challenges and opportunities that face our town.
What qualities would be important to you in the search for a new town manager?
Hiring a new town manager is a great opportunity to add another resource to contribute to the success of Windsor. Choosing the next town manager is an important task, and there are several key criteria that will be important. Embracing our town’s culture, fiscal responsibility and being able to execute a strategic plan are qualities I look for in Windsor’s town manager.
Windsor’s core values revolve around being a family-friendly town. We need to support a culture that is diverse, healthy and allows all our neighbors to thrive. Our town manager needs to be someone who not only understands these values, but lives them and supports them for others. This requires someone who makes decisions and creates strategies keeping in mind our foundational values.
Our next town manager will face financial challenges. This person needs to be financially savvy and responsible. This will include taking a risk-averse, fiscally conservative approach to managing the budget. It will be vital the manager contribute to efforts to enhance revenue, while also taking a thoughtful and empathetic approach to potential cuts to services.
Wildfires and COVID-19 and are just two examples that point to how unpredictable the world is, even in Windsor. To tackle the challenges the world will throw at us we’ll need a creative mind who is able to be nimble and think outside of the box. In uncertain times we need someone flexible who can help refine our strategic vision and goals. Then, this person needs to work collaboratively with the community and the town council to implement and deliver that vision.
To summarize, bringing on our next town manager is an exciting opportunity to add capability to our town. If this person can embrace our culture, act fiscally responsibly and execute strategic plans we will all benefit.
How would you vote regarding the at-large mayor should the council return an item to put the issue to voters?
My personal preference is for Windsor to have four council members elected by district and an at-large mayor. If there are five elected officials representing our community, this would give everyone a say in two of the five representatives (one district council member and the mayor). Conversely if there are five districts and no at-large mayor, each voter only influences one of the five representatives (their own district and that’s all). While this is my personal view, I believe we should get this question on the ballot of an upcoming election as soon as possible and let the voters decide how they want to be represented. I would enthusiastically support the results of that ballot question, regardless if it aligned with my preference. This decision, like many others, is best-suited to be made by the community, not for council members to decide on their own. As a member of the town council, I want to actively work to solicit community input and transfer decision-making authority from the few to the many.
The town is facing a long-term structural deficit. How would you address this challenge — likely requiring expenditure reductions and revenue enhancements — as a council member?
The first thing we must do as a town is to not actively make our financial situation worse. This means avoiding catastrophic mistakes and risky behaviors. Specifically, in the short term this means not going into business with Robert Green. It means not tearing down public buildings on the Town Green that are still serviceable. It means not gambling the town’s financial future on economic projections that are unlikely to come through.
Enhancing revenues is something Windsor needs to prioritize going forward. If elected I will re-establish a council member subcommittee focused on economic development. This committee will be focused on collaborating with the community to recruit both businesses and events. For example, years ago Windsor hosted both the hot air balloon festival and the Vine Man Triathlon. We lost those events and never replaced them. Bringing back events like those and the revenue that come with them should be part of our economic strategy. Even more importantly, Windsor should continue to court business to move here. The Russian River Brewing Company is a great example of bringing business to Windsor, however there are not enough examples like this.
Unfortunately, expenditure reductions are a potential reality. We need to make sure that any cuts don’t disproportionately impact disadvantaged portions of our community. Also, cuts must be made with a clear strategy in mind as to how to best return those services as quickly as possible.
As a community we definitely face financial challenges, but with vision and leadership we can endure and return to a position of stability and health. Avoiding mistakes, working proactively to increase revenues and demonstrating discipline are the keys to long term fiscal health.
What is your position on the Civic Center project? What alternatives do you suggest to deal with the need for new facilities for Windsor public agencies, including for the Windsor Police Department?
Voting for me is a vote AGAINST the proposed Civic Center project. The hotel and Civic Center project on the Town Green is the wrong project with the wrong developer at the wrong time. This is the largest issue the council will address this year, so it is only fair to the voters that candidates have a decisive, clear stance on the project.
This project is significantly flawed. The original plan called for a hotel with 65 rooms. The proposal now is 3.5 times that size. The plan eliminates an existing public street and dozens of parking spots. By bringing the hotel right up to the Town Green it will appear to residents and visitors alike that Windsor’s public Green is the hotel’s backyard — and not for them to use unless they become a hotel guest. This will have the greatest impact on the most economically challenged members of the community. This project also does not come close to adequately addressing the need for affordable housing. There are many more flaws to the project that space does not allow me to cover.
The Robert Green Company is not the right partner for Windsor. The company’s track record on the environment is not consistent with our values. Their recent project in Healdsburg amassed 38 environmental violations. The environmental scientist for the regional water board called the construction site “the nastiest he’s seen in 20 years.” They also have a history of suing business partners and evading commitments. Windsor simply can’t risk going into business with this company.
When it comes to providing for new facilities, the council should approach this need like working families do. This means we should plan, prioritize, budget, save and sacrifice. We should not sell our shared public space and gamble on an investment unlikely to succeed.
Having campaigned for over a month now, what are the most pressing issues on the minds of Windsor residents, and how do you hope to address them as council member?
Ahead of this election I have had the chance to listen to hundreds of people about what is most important to them in Windsor. The overarching theme I keep hearing revolves around keeping our small-town, family-oriented culture intact. Most people discussed this topic relative to the hotel and Civic Center on the Town Green. The Town Green is a welcoming, diverse and vibrant centerpiece in our community. The overwhelming majority of people I talked with felt that the currently proposed project would negatively impact our collective ability to enjoy the city center. Additionally, many people feel that this would be felt most acutely by our neighbors that are less economically privileged, including the Latino community and seniors.
Another common theme that people have shared in recent weeks is the desire to feel heard by local leadership. Many people expressed they don’t participate in council meetings and public workshops because their opinions are not valued. Too often when community members try to engage in civics they are told they are just a “vocal minority.”
Lastly, there is a desire for a pragmatic, realistic approach to addressing our challenges relative to this election. People seem to understand that while we have many issues to address, they all can’t be covered between April and November (the time this special election covers). Affordable housing, the environment and the way we address infrastructure are all issues people around town know need to be addressed. However, people are looking for leadership that will prioritize the needs and issues that we face now.
If I have the chance to serve as a member of the town council my top priority will be to be an active listener, carry out the will of the community and be a voice for many who have not felt heard.
Please use this final question as an opportunity to say anything else you’d like to say:
No response given.
